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I have to sometimes remind myself that Greta Thunberg is a teenager, given that she’s taken a year off school to focus on her climate activism, and is inspiring celebrities like Jane Fonda to fight climate change. Greta was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts and was named to the TIME 100 list in the spring. She has just been named one of People‘s 25 Women Changing the World 2019. But, she does things that typical teenagers do when she’s not out trying to protect the planet:
While Thunberg has become a powerhouse in the climate world (and criticized by the likes of President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin) she is, after all, just 16.
“I have many, many hobbies, and interests,” she tells PEOPLE. “But I have had to put them aside for now.”
Since August, she has been on sabbatical from school, traveling the world to raise awareness about the urgent need to take action against climate change.
While she’s traveling, she says, “I read and I go for walks. When I’m home, then I am with my dogs – Moses and Roxy.”
She misses them a lot – as well as “my sister, my family – everything at home.” . . .
“I have a lot of people listening to what I am saying, so I am using that platform to try to achieve a change,” she says.
“I think it’s very hopeful, all the young people who are a part of the climate change movement,” she says. “That keeps me going, to see that it actually has made a difference.”
She keeps going, she says, “Because there is no second option. I want to make sure that the people in power know that this is something they cannot continue to ignore.”
I need to make it a point to follow Greta on social media. I enjoy reading her interviews because she’s incredibly blunt about what’s happening to the planet and why she’s doing the work that she’s doing. This is all common sense, and Greta is one of the people trying to explain why to others. She’s also not afraid to call out leaders who are shirking their responsibilities to their citizens by failing to take up this work themselves. And it is so refreshing that someone is holding leaders accountable for their nonsense.
I’m glad that Greta’s finding time for her hobbies while she’s traveling. I can’t imagine how exhausted she must get, even as she’s exhilarated by the growing climate activism movement that she started. I hope that she’s taking time for herself to rest and recharge!
Over 7,5 million people in over 180 countries joined the #climatestrike !We told world leaders to unite behind the science and take action now.
They didn’t listen.
So we go on, every Friday. The next global climate strike is Nov 29, and we need everyone to join!#fridaysforfuture pic.twitter.com/MDF8isDLhi— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) October 13, 2019
photos credit: WENN, Avalon.red and Getty
I appreciate your write up but I believe that she said she has put aside her hobbies to focus on climate change…she’s not getting time for them. It’s of note because Commander Zero goes golfing despite his dereliction of duties and the mounting chaos his kangaroo administration has wrought.
Dogs and walks and reading are the best things in the world.
You go, Greta!
She’s doing great things.
She’s such an inspiration. And if you are concerned about your own mental health, do not ever read too deeply into the comments on social media that she gets. People are monsters.
Yes people are monsters, for making fun of her activism and the fact that she has Asperger’s Syndrome. For example, i found it really upsetting reading about people making fun of the way she talks. I have Asperger’s myself, and all throughout my life i’ve had to hear that too. Its such a painful topic to me.—I don’t even like talking on the phone at all or talking in public to people i don’t know, because i’m so self conscious of the “funny” way that i talk. So it hurts to hear Greta’s Asperger’s being laughed at, while she’s out there doing great things. She’s really making a difference and i’m so proud of her!
K-Peace, my son is on the spectrum, away at college and slowly starting be be more open about his challenges with his peers after trying very hard to fly under the radar. He’s grateful that a fellow Aspie is so vocally proud of strengths that come with her unique wiring.
Life can be challenging enough for someone on the spectrum so to see people trolling her for that, among so many other things, is heartbreaking and infuriating. Best to you!
People do write horrible things about her. She absolutely doesn’t deserve it. But she also doesn’t offer practical solutions. A great deal of people ARE aware about climate change and environmental issues, whether they care or not. I wish instead of just blocking rush hour traffic and holding signs, the activists would go plant a forest, or clean up a polluted area, bring clean drinking water to villages that rely on plastic bottles, go to a big corporation like Nestle or Coke and hold them responsible for producing plastic, start a conversation about going back to reusable glass bottles, make producers responsible…just do anything with her platform other than raise awareness.
At least among people I know in person, that’s why they don’t like her. Not because she’s got Aspergers, or her age, or gender or anything else. But because she just yells at people without offering a single practical solution that we can implement on a large scale. I LOVE that she cares. I am continuously appalled at society’s indifference to reality. But she isn’t mobilizing anything other than rallies. There are no practical actions. She’s relying on politicians to do something when she could literally go plant a forest or go clean up a polluted village with with her million supporters. Inciting her followers to essentially cause hours-long gridlocks at rush hour is literally doing the opposite of what she says she supports though.
Obviously she doesn’t deserve vitriol or bullying under any circumstances. It’s absolutely abhorrent the things coming out of people’s mouths. I really don’t understand why people are so offended by her. My only point is I think she’s a bit misguided in her execution. We need a person to lead us and to rally around, but what is the ultimate outcome of simply protesting? There has to be something more.
The SDE has been strong in some of the responses to this kid.
I read things that made me horrified, always from men.
A teacher in Iowa was just fired after writing on Facebook that he was sorry he left his rifle at home when Greta visited Iowa City to discuss Climate Change. This is the sort of crazy Trump supporter she has to deal with while in the US.
OMG. F— that. I’m glad that he was fired.
Piss Morgan (name from Twitter) was mocking her on ITV last week, while the Station was running their Anti-Bullying campaign.
Greta visited Esther the Wonder Pig (near Toronto at the Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary) while she was in the US. There are great pics on Facebook. She took the last cupcake and Esther was not happy, LOL. She also visited Standing Rock and there are great pics of that visit as well. I have nothing but respect for her and her activism. I can’t believe the venom thrown her way by old men. It’s young people like her who will save the world.
I worry about her, honestly, like I worry about any teenager who becomes a celebrity. It’s a lot of responsibility for someone so young. And in this age of the internet, it just seems like so much. Can she avoid the temptation to read what people write about her? Can she handle it if she does? I don’t think I could have at her age. It would be hard now, even. Obviously she is exceptionally confident in a way I was not at 16. But I still worry.
It is. I think we’re right to worry. I’m not trying to say she shouldn’t be doing what she’s doing; I respect her for taking a stand, but any kind of rapid rise to fame has to be difficult to deal with. It sounds like she has a good support system but people have been ruthless in their attacks on her.
I really like her. Adult babies are being f–king vile about her and her message. It’s appalling to see.
She is absolutely adorable and I love her for her righteous stands. Adults can learn a helluva lot from her instead of their vile mockery of a child. Unspeakable and beastly.
Men don’t like to be told what to do, especially by women, let alone young women that are correct. This will be the major hurdle to overcome if we want to survive. We all need to be brave enough to stand for the truth and not for some sick economic system that rewards psychopaths hellbent on destruction.
“Men don’t like to be told what to do, especially by women, let alone young women that are correct. ” 👍❤ That explains a lot.